Fan speed control of silicon based devices in low power mode to reduce platform power
US8145926B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 30, 2008 |
| Grant date | Mar 27, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 24, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02D10/00
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes running a cooling fan within a computer at low speed while the computer is in low temperature operations (e.g., idle). The operation of the cooling fan may reduce processor (CPU) temperature enough to decrease processor leakage power, offsetting the power consumption of the fan, and possibly resulting in a net system power reduction. The benefit at the platform level increases further when considering the low efficiency of voltage regulation (VR) in this lower power regime, and potentially reductions in other components (e.g., graphics processor). The optimal fan speed is the speed at which the overall system power is reduced the most (e.g., processor power savings is greater than fan power utilized). The optimal temperature may be determined dynamically during operation or may be determined in manufacturing and applied statically during operation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.